Redshaw said his daughters, both in their 50s, regularly kept in touch with him so he was "feeling anxious and hoping to get more progress before the storm hit.

The last email from Lissa said she and Jane planned to "hunker down".

One of the fiercest Atlantic storms in a century, Irma was expected to rip through the Florida Keys archipelago yesterday, causing authorities to evacuate millions of residents hours before the storm lashed the US state.

Lissa's recent emails gave Redshaw some relief to know they were both well prepared, he said.

Lissa said she had "two fine long stick for poking any snakes that rise with the flood waters and biodegradable dish detergent, which I'm told is the solution to floating swarms of fire ants."

As some residents scrambled to escape the hurricane's wrath, Lissa told her dad said she knew of one person who had managed to book "one of the last scheduled flights out of Miami regardless of where it went.